


Overcompensating

by echoicdreamscape



Series: Young and Impressionable [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 13:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4349858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoicdreamscape/pseuds/echoicdreamscape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shaw is the tall one throughout their elementary school years and doesn't hesitate to take advantage of her height over Root. However, Root hits a growth spurt right before high school and the tables turn.</p><p>Featuring jealous Shaw and hot nerd Root.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Overcompensating

All throughout elementary school Shaw had been the taller one. Root was a short, skinny, mousey little thing and it was up to Shaw and John to protect her from the bullies. She sort of deserved it, Shaw often thought, because Root was a genius who liked to run her mouth. No one likes it when you point out you’re smarter than them, and doing that seemed to be Root’s favorite pastime. 

Nevertheless, Shaw liked fighting and she often found herself standing in front of Root, victorious over the dumb kids who decided to pick on her that day. It was lucky for both of them that the bullies were too stupid to realize that telling a teacher would likely suspend Root and Shaw for a few days. 

When they entered middle school the only thing that changed at first was that Root found even more people to use as her playthings. Standing at least four inches shorter than the australopithecines as she liked to call them, Root bore a condescending smirk when she revealed her big brain.

Her dumbass big brain, Shaw once told her when she found her friend stuffed into a trashcan with spaghetti hanging in her hair.

Of course Shaw got revenge a few days later by breaking up Martine and Jeremy with a few well-placed rumors, but still! Root needed some self-control (and to gain a few inches to hold her ground).

Root and Shaw rarely fought but when they did, Shaw would usually win since she was still three inches taller than the other girl. It wasn’t hard for her to hold things above both their heads (most often Root’s laptop) and watch Root fail to jump high enough to get them. Root was scrappy and tried to punch Shaw, but she knew self-defense and would kick Root onto the floor. (Once Root got tears in her eyes and Shaw bought her a pint of ice cream as an apology.)

It was one day in eighth grade when Root had smiled mischievously at Shaw the entire day when Shaw gave up and barked, “What the hell do you want, Root?” from her perch on Root’s bed. Root put down the sandwich she made and asked Shaw to stand up next to her. Grumbling and groaning, Shaw acquiesced, heaving out sighs from the effort of getting off the bed. She stood directly in front of Root, eyeing her sandwich. “Sam,” Root murmured, drawing Shaw’s attention to the other girl’s eyes. Eyes that were… _higher than her own!!!_

_”What the fuck, Root?!”_

* * *

From that moment on Root started teasing her best friend constantly about being the shortest in their friend group. Harold and John wisely kept their mouths shut so Root was the only one Shaw bruised weekly.

Naturally Shaw had to do something to make up for her now diminished stature, and Root noticed that her coping mechanism turned out to be getting into even more fights and acting grumpier and grumpier as the days went by.

“Come on, Sam,” Root said, trying to placate the other girl, “height isn’t everything!”

Shaw glared at her from the other side of the couch and crossed her arms, not noticing Root’s eyes roving over her form. _Has she always looked this good in tank tops?_

Root crossed over to the middle cushion and leaned in. “You’ve _definitely_ got muscle over me,” she whispered with a smirk.

Shaw turned her head to look back at Root once again. “Maybe I’ll show these muscles to you again if you continue,” she replied evenly, hiding some weird jittery feeling in her stomach.

* * *

To Shaw’s dismay, Root kept shooting up throughout high school until she stood five fucking inches taller than her by the time they were sixteen. Shaw now had to tilt her head to speak to her, and Root had to lean down to give her the rare hugs she still forced upon her. Hugs that weren’t as uncomfortable as they used to be, but Shaw pushed that thought aside.

Sometime between freshman and sophomore year Root had turned from nerd to queen of the nerds to hot nerd the douchebag athletes wanted to sleep with. “She must be a freak in bed,” said a baseball player Shaw overheard in cafeteria. (Later that day Shaw threw him against the brick wall of their school and threatened to shove his bat up his ass if he even thought about her Roo-best friend again.)

“You should teach me self-defense,” Root said one day as she laid on Shaw’s stomach. How they got in this position was a mystery to Shaw. One moment Root had started a tickle fight, and the next, she was sprawled on top of her. Shaw didn’t mind, though, and ran her left hand through Root’s hair. 

“Why?” she grunted out, staring at the ceiling. She and Root had gotten physically closer over the past few months and she didn’t know how she felt about it.

Root propped herself on her elbows, noticing that they barely sunk into Shaw’s stomach. “You’re really fit, Sameen. I like that,” she murmured absently. 

Shaw shoved a pillow under her head and glared at the other girl. “Get to the point, Root.”

Root sighed and rolled off Shaw’s stomach, ending up on her back and likewise staring at the ceiling. “Everyone keeps hitting on me and I think I’m going to end up punching or tasering one of them soon.”

Since they were both still looking at the ceiling Root missed Shaw’s scowl.

“Fine.”

* * *

“You and Cocoa Puffs look really funny when you stand next to each other,” Lionel remarked right as they had just walked through the doorway into the party. Root just smirked and Shaw wasted no time punching him in the face.

Almost immediately after Shaw had inadvertently drawn attention to them, two football players approached Root asking for her choice of drink.

“Lay off her,” John, the starting quarterback, ordered as he approached the door. He glanced at Shaw, noticing her scowl and slightly twitching eyebrow. He gave one of them a shove. “I said leave.” The other slipped John a condom and the two hurried away with grins on their faces. John gave the condom to a newly risen Lionel as Root turned to finally see Shaw's clenched jaw and stormy eyes.

“We’re going somewhere a little more private,” Root informed John and Lionel conspiratorially. She grabbed Shaw’s wrist and led them upstairs. 

Shaw entered the guest bedroom first as Root locked the door behind them. Root sighed, closing her eyes and pressing her back against the door.

She opened her eyes to look for Shaw. “What’s been up with you lately?” she asked.

Shaw paced round the room, not making eye contact or even acknowledging Root’s question.

“Sameen.” Root pushed herself off the door and walked toward the other girl.

“Do you like it?” Shaw’s gruff voice broke the tense silence.

Root scrunched up her face in confusion. “Like what?”

Shaw slowly stalked up to Root. “You seem to like it when all those guys hit on you. You haven’t used any of the moves I taught you. Hell, you don’t even shut them down all the way! It’s as if you’re giving them more chances.”

“I can’t stop them all, Sameen. You know what guys are like. And it’s not like you don’t do the same with Tomas.” Root furrowed her brow as Shaw’s glare seemed to pierce her even harder. “What’s your problem with me?”

Shaw continued her slow walk toward Root until Root was forced to back up against the door again. She felt warmth spread up her neck to her cheeks. 

Shaw was right in front of her, filling her vision field.

“You’re just-“ Shaw started, reaching her right hand around the back of Root’s head to grip at her hair. The same warmth filled the pit in her lower stomach.

“-too tall,” she finished as she stood on her tiptoes and brought Root’s lips down to meet hers.

**Author's Note:**

> I completely lost my interest in writing after that spree in April. Maybe things will change now but I'm not sure. It's hard to find motivation :(


End file.
